southeast side of the slave housing. It was hidden from view by the overgrowth, and though not as convenient as the alcove behind the olive grove, Helena hoped it would suffice.
Her path brought her much closer to the slave compound than she’d ever been. In the distance, she spotted a little village of small huts made of reddish mud bricks, nothing like the grand limestone blocks from which the villa was built. Did Lucius live in one of those huts? She frowned. He must.
The breeze picked up, blowing her hair loose. A strand tangled itself in her dangling gold earrings. She stopped to free it and wrinkled her nose. A foul smell greeted her and for the first time she noticed the baa -ing of sheep and the clucking of chickens.
Though she’d only walked mere minutes, she felt she had entered a foreign world.
Felicity had given her clear directions. Helena spotted the abandoned well and hesitated. Nervous excitement rippled through her body. Desperation to see Lucius tightened her chest. Would he be there?
She needn’t have worried. Of course he would be there. It was his duty to obey her.
He stood with his hands at his sides, his eyes wide, questioning. The last time she’d seen him, he’d kissed her. Today, his tunic was muddied, his arms rough with dirt and scratches.
“I was shearing sheep,” he said.
Helena suddenly felt self-conscious in her brighter-than-white tunic with golden bands that wrapped under and across her bosom, and with her gold jewels that adorned her ears and twisted through her hair.
They couldn’t be any more dissimilar.
She got right to the point. “You should know that my brother has found us out.”
“He didn’t see me.”
“Not Gordian. Cassius. He saw me leave the grove, and when he investigated, it was plain I had not been there alone.”
Lucius’s shoulders slumped. “He knows of me?”
“He is convinced that I have a lover.”
Emotion flashed through Lucius’s eyes. Affection? Pain? Helena knew then that her words were not too far from the truth. She knew Lucius loved her.
“He knows not your name or your face. And of course, there is no proof. It is not a crime to teach a servant.”
Lucius’s eyelids fluttered, and his jaw tensed. She had caused him pain with her words, and she immediately regretted being so harsh. She searched for something to say to soften her meaning, but it was more obvious to her than ever before that they were from two different worlds. They could never be more than master and servant.
“So this is to be the end?” Lucius said, beating her to it. “The final good-bye?”
Helena tore off a stalk of tall grass and twisted it, thinking of Gordian and her hurt and anger.
“It needn’t be. It’s up to you, Lucius. Meeting with you, discussing our studies, has become the highlight of my day.”
“And mine, also.”
“If you wish to continue, we can meet here, though we must be very careful.”
Lucius’s lips tugged up slightly. “I would like that.”
“There is a condition,” she said, wrapping the weed around her finger.
“And it is?”
“You must not love me.”
Lucius met her eyes. She felt her knees buckle and straightened her shoulders to compensate.
“What you ask is a difficult thing,” he said softly.
“I know.”
And she did. Even more, she was uncertain as to the purity of her own motivations in continuing to teach him. It would be wiser and safer to cut the relationship off completely.
But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Her heart ached at the thought of not seeing him again. She only hoped her decision wouldn’t bring them pain in the future.
A rhythmic pounding of footsteps in the grass startled them and instinctively Lucius grabbed Helena’s hand, pulling her into the ditch behind them. He draped his arm over her shoulders protectively, and his closeness frightened Helena—and tantalized her.
“It’s Felicity,” a voice called out in a loud whisper.
“Felicity,” Helena said, moving
Her path brought her much closer to the slave compound than she’d ever been. In the distance, she spotted a little village of small huts made of reddish mud bricks, nothing like the grand limestone blocks from which the villa was built. Did Lucius live in one of those huts? She frowned. He must.
The breeze picked up, blowing her hair loose. A strand tangled itself in her dangling gold earrings. She stopped to free it and wrinkled her nose. A foul smell greeted her and for the first time she noticed the baa -ing of sheep and the clucking of chickens.
Though she’d only walked mere minutes, she felt she had entered a foreign world.
Felicity had given her clear directions. Helena spotted the abandoned well and hesitated. Nervous excitement rippled through her body. Desperation to see Lucius tightened her chest. Would he be there?
She needn’t have worried. Of course he would be there. It was his duty to obey her.
He stood with his hands at his sides, his eyes wide, questioning. The last time she’d seen him, he’d kissed her. Today, his tunic was muddied, his arms rough with dirt and scratches.
“I was shearing sheep,” he said.
Helena suddenly felt self-conscious in her brighter-than-white tunic with golden bands that wrapped under and across her bosom, and with her gold jewels that adorned her ears and twisted through her hair.
They couldn’t be any more dissimilar.
She got right to the point. “You should know that my brother has found us out.”
“He didn’t see me.”
“Not Gordian. Cassius. He saw me leave the grove, and when he investigated, it was plain I had not been there alone.”
Lucius’s shoulders slumped. “He knows of me?”
“He is convinced that I have a lover.”
Emotion flashed through Lucius’s eyes. Affection? Pain? Helena knew then that her words were not too far from the truth. She knew Lucius loved her.
“He knows not your name or your face. And of course, there is no proof. It is not a crime to teach a servant.”
Lucius’s eyelids fluttered, and his jaw tensed. She had caused him pain with her words, and she immediately regretted being so harsh. She searched for something to say to soften her meaning, but it was more obvious to her than ever before that they were from two different worlds. They could never be more than master and servant.
“So this is to be the end?” Lucius said, beating her to it. “The final good-bye?”
Helena tore off a stalk of tall grass and twisted it, thinking of Gordian and her hurt and anger.
“It needn’t be. It’s up to you, Lucius. Meeting with you, discussing our studies, has become the highlight of my day.”
“And mine, also.”
“If you wish to continue, we can meet here, though we must be very careful.”
Lucius’s lips tugged up slightly. “I would like that.”
“There is a condition,” she said, wrapping the weed around her finger.
“And it is?”
“You must not love me.”
Lucius met her eyes. She felt her knees buckle and straightened her shoulders to compensate.
“What you ask is a difficult thing,” he said softly.
“I know.”
And she did. Even more, she was uncertain as to the purity of her own motivations in continuing to teach him. It would be wiser and safer to cut the relationship off completely.
But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Her heart ached at the thought of not seeing him again. She only hoped her decision wouldn’t bring them pain in the future.
A rhythmic pounding of footsteps in the grass startled them and instinctively Lucius grabbed Helena’s hand, pulling her into the ditch behind them. He draped his arm over her shoulders protectively, and his closeness frightened Helena—and tantalized her.
“It’s Felicity,” a voice called out in a loud whisper.
“Felicity,” Helena said, moving
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